Wacky Promises To Spur Voter Turnout

It seems it’s clearly not enough just to reiterate to voters that voting is a right and responsibility.

With Election Day tomorrow, candidates and celebrities vowed to do funny and humiliating things in public if turnout reaches a threshold that hasn’t been seen since 1992.

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The threshold – 70%.

Ahn Chul-soo, the businessman-turned-professor whose commentary on politics over the past year has created a guessing game over whether he’ll run for president, on Monday released a YouTube video to encourage people to vote.

He used stuffed Angry Birds animals to make his point. (Side note: Angry Birds seem to have become a recurring motive in South Korean politics this campaign season.)

“Bad pigs are hiding behind the castle, the solid establishment. These good birds are throwing themselves to break the castle,” Mr. Ahn said.

Then a voice asks him what he would do if the election turnout is over 70%, and he answers he would sing. “Since I can’t sing, it is a big sacrifice,” he said.

But the voice insists he dance as well. He laughs and reluctantly agrees. The voice then wraps up the interview by declaring “Mr. Ahn will sing and dance in mini-skirt!” Mr. Ahn looks clearly embarrassed and throws the Angry Bird stuffed animal he was holding towards the camera. Then a message appears on screen, “Angry?? Just Vote!”

A 70% turnout is not impossible, though it is clearly a longshot considering the records of recent years.

Turnout was 75.8% in 1988, the first year for the general election. It was 71.9% in 1992. But it slipped to 63.9% in 1996, 57.2% in 2000, 60.6% in 2004 and 46.1% in 2008.

courtesy/ Lee Oi-soo

Lee Oi-soo posted on his Twitter the photo-shopped image of him with short hair.

Opposition politicians and their supporters also joined in promoting a 70% turnout, believing that means more votes from young people who tend to support them.

Han Myeong-sook, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic United Party, wrote on Twitter that she would wear a hoodie and dance to a K-pop song if the 70% threshold was reached. Lee Oi-soo, a novelist who has 1.3 million followers on Twitter, said he would cut his trademark long ponytail.

Kim Ou-joon, host of popular anti-government podcast “Naneun Ggomsuda,” promised to “deep French-kiss” his male co-host in a public place.